Bribery Act 2010, Chief Executive’s Statement
On 1 July 2011, the Bribery Act came into force, with the purpose of preventing bribery and corruption in both the public and private sectors.
Bribery can be defined as the offering, promising, giving, accepting or soliciting of an advantage as an inducement for improperly performing a relevant function or activity.
Bribery and corruption under the act are punishable for individuals as a criminal offence by up to 10 years imprisonment and if the trust is found to have taken part in the corruption, the trust could face an unlimited fine and incalculable damage to its reputation.
The trust, therefore, takes its legal responsibilities very seriously.
The trust is committed to applying the highest standards of ethical conduct, following good NHS business practices and having robust controls in place to prevent bribery.
It is essential that everyone working for, or on behalf of, the trust is aware of the standards of behaviour expected of them.
These standards are set out in the trust’s policies and procedures and reflect not only the law, but the expectations of behaviour enshrined in Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust’s vision and core values.
However, as an organisation, we cannot afford to be complacent and under no circumstances is the giving, offering, receiving or soliciting of a bribe acceptable and the trust will not tolerate this in any form.
Any act of bribery undertaken by a member or an employee of the trust will result in disciplinary action and will be treated with a similar level of importance by the trust’s board.
If you are in any doubt as to whether any conduct could amount to bribery, or if you have any concerns or suspicions regarding bribery being committed, please contact a member of the trust’s board or the trust’s counter fraud provider, AuditOne, on 0191 441 5916 or [email protected].
On behalf of the trust, I confirm our commitment to ensuring that all staff are aware of their responsibilities in relation to the prevention of bribery.
Trudie Davies, Chief Executive